Mos Def Defends Alleged Terrorist Jose Padilla

In an interview with the Associated Press, Brooklyn rapper Mos Def expresses doubts about the validity and fairness of alleged terrorist Jose Padilla’s trial. “We all know the history of insufficient evidence or testimony under duress — at the very least, legal circumstances that demand some sort of reinvestigation, a new consideration for facts, and just the truth,” he says. “Basically saying these people are not the criminals they’re being made out to be.” According to reports, Padilla was arrested in May 2002 in Chicago’s O’Hare airport after a trip from Pakistan. U.S. officials arrested him on suspicion of plotting a “dirty bomb” attack in America and charged him with conspiracy to “murder, kidnap and maim” people. Padilla was then held as an enemy combatant for more than three years before his case was transferred to a civilian court in Miami in May 2007. Earlier this month, Padilla was found guilty of all the charges after jurors only took a day and a half to convict him. Prosecutors said Padilla traveled to Afghanistan in 1998 to train with al-Qaeda and his fingerprints were found on an al-Qaeda application form. Padilla has denied all the charges and claims he traveled to Egypt to study Arabic and Islam. During the trial, the FBI also played telephone conversations in Arabic between the defendants that, according to the prosecution, featured coded references to terrorist activity. Padilla’s voice, however, was only on seven of the tapes and the FBI testified he did not use any coded language. “[It’s] the climate that we live in,” Mos Def continued to say during his interview. “People’s rights and liberties being taken advantage of — the whole situation with Jose Padilla. Basically the state being able to just charge any individual with anything and prosecute them on the basis of that.” Mos Def went on to say that it’s up to celebrities and people in positions of power to stick up for causes like Jose Padilla’s. “People in key positions as artists, programmers, presidents, chairmen — they’re letting their people down,” he said. “Wake up! If [2Pac] could get killed, then your life means nothing, no matter if you have a 100 cents or 100 million.”

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I guess Lupe Fiasco has a partner in Mos Def. Bol is going to go on one of his anti-Islam rants agains them.

http://www.akirathedon.com AK D

Shut up Bol, you goon.

“During the trial, the FBI also played telephone conversations in Arabic between the defendants that, according to the prosecution, featured coded references to terrorist activity. Padilla’s voice, however, was only on seven of the tapes and the FBI testified he did not use any coded language.”

Fuck’s sake.

LOL

WELL SEEING AS MOS DEF IS A ‘POSITIVE’ RAPPER , AND IM SUPPOSED TO RAISE MY KIDS ON HIS MUSIC.

WAT DO I TELL THEM ABOUT HIM DEFENDING A TERRORIST?

these posts are racist

“Man I swear, sometimes the stories just write themselves.”

BOL, Care to explain yoruself? When Jose Padilla was arrested, they made a big deal that he was trying to bring a dirty bomb into the country. What happened to this allegation? What happened to the dirty bomb issue? He was not charged with anything having to do with a dirty bomb. He was not convicted with anything having to do with a dirty bomb.

Think about it, you bigoted dipshit: The very basis for his fucking arrest and dentention was even mentioned in his eventual conviction. Try, thinking for once.

IT’S true the goverment at anytime can accuse u of almost anything and never be wrong.I don’t see him protecting terroist,what see him doing is bringing awareness it’s not jus police that abuse there power,goverment,cooperation,they all lie to us..MINORITY’S STAND UP.WHO’S WATCHING THEM?

Around and Around

Yeah i read that counterpunch article good article.

I disagree with the title of this piece Mos Def isn’t defending Padilla, saying that the gov’t had insufficent evidence and Padilla was held in duress (Duress being a light word they tortued his ass)does not mean he is defending him. Nice way to get an attention grabbing headline though XXL.

PS. Bol is a piece of shit, the evidence was bullshit basically, and Bol’s ho ass wants it to make it out to something it’s not. The gov’t made it sound like this dude had a nuke in his pocket, and that was all bullshit. But it gave them the opportunity to stand up on the podium and tell the ignaorant fools out there, see, we’re protectin you.

And wtf is the al qaeda application, I don’t belive that shit for one second. What does it have a spot for references, previous work experience, equal opportunity employer.

Intifada

Mos Def is the truth!

Bol is on some Uncle Sam shit.

The fact is, nobody can trust the US government. They out to get everybody who may disagree with them.

HAWAIIAN

it’s funny how you people jump all over Bol. you all read his posts on the daily, yet you aren’t familiar with sarcasm?

don’t worry bol, some of these “pseudo-intellectuals” may understand simple humour one day.

Purple Hulk

DID MOS DEF EVEN PERSONALLY KNOW THE GUY?
DAMN, IS MOS JUST DEFENDING ANY RANDOM PERSON ACCUSED OF DOING ANYTHING.
HES JUST TRYING TO STAY RELEVANT.

You stupid muthafucvkas who are hating on Mos, should listen up and be very afraid, Padilla probably got a shitty deal, the bush administration took a AMERICAN, held him for 3 years denied him his basic rights as a AMERICAN and you muthafuckas dont give a fuck??? Just hope YOU dont get caught up in any similar situation because you better believe your dumb ass will sing a different tune. Fuck this sensless war, as Bushwick Bill said ” I ant going to war for no shit talking president, fuck-fuck-fuck a war”

ALBANY4LIFE

PEOPLE GET FUCKED BY OUR LEGAL SYSTEM EVERYDAY,BUT THEIR USUALLY NOT TRAVELIN TO PAKISTAN OR TALKING TO TERRORISTS.LIKE PURPLE HULK SAID,ITS ABOUT BEING RELEVANT AND TRYIN TO STIR CONTRVERSY BUT DEFENDING SOMEONE WHO EVEN MIGHT CAUSE HARM TO AMERICANS IS FUCKIN TREASON AND DESERVES A FUCK U FOR MOS DEF.THE JENA 6 IS A CASE OF REAL INJUSTICE AND THIS MOTHERFUCKA WORRIED ABOUT SOME TERRORIST.

Lano

All I have to say is “the patriot act”.
Look it up all they have to say is were terriost and were in jail forever.

kdi

Mos Def tryin to stay relevant? When has he EVER cared about relevancy? The ignorance in these posts are sooo scary i cant even say no more. Wow!

FDS

The American Government: shady? Yes.
But since when did you have to buddy up with al-Qaeda and travel to Egypt to learn about Arabic and Islam?

dolo

I agree with around and around .. the tile to this piece is misleading .. hes not defending dude . he just saying the circumstances surrounding his detention is suspect. And thats something thats been goin down since 9-11 . even with theo ther cat mousssaui

Real Talk

This is Mos Definately more conspiracy theory b.s. As Americans it is our tradition and our right to question the system, and I am glad to see people are being skeptical. But at some point, there is a difference between being skeptical, and being dilusional and paranoid. This reaction is not quite unlike the Mumia case. Mos Def is basically saying that the FBI, and the President, and the lawyers, and the judge are just a bunch of crazy lunatics trying to throw people in prison. Does anyone honestly believe that? Okay, well even if you do what about the jurors (both the grand jury and the petit jury)? The jurors are NOT part of the system. They are us. The people. They hear everything presented, from both sides. And although they felt there was not enough evidence as far as the “dirty bomb” charge, he was still an affiliate of Al Queda and its members! Fact: As a member of that group he is an enemy of our country. As a citizen of the United States he has betrayed all of us, by affiliating with a group that targets our people. I’ve heard some stupid motha fuckers sayin that these extremist “Al Queda doesn’t target black people”. Oh yeah? What do you think is happening in the Darfur region of Sudan RIGHT NOW? These are Islamic extremist killing and raping people in Africa because they are different from them. Of course this has nothing to do with Islam, but these extremist have a similiar ideology and interpret the Muslim faith wrongly.

REAL TALK

Around and Around

PURPLE HULK SAID,ITS ABOUT BEING RELEVANT AND TRYIN TO STIR CONTRVERSY BUT DEFENDING SOMEONE WHO EVEN MIGHT CAUSE HARM TO AMERICANS IS FUCKIN TREASON.
——
Do you know what treason is? (Hint: It’s not when someone puts your house on wheels and roles it away)
—
Mos Def is basically saying that the FBI, and the President, and the lawyers, and the judge are just a bunch of crazy lunatics trying to throw people in prison. Does anyone honestly believe that?
——–
Ummm didn’t they try to keep him in Jail as an American citizen for 3 years without charges and it was only the court which told the president, lawyers, and ‘crazy lunatics’ as you call them that they HAVE to charge him….That’s no different then what Saddam did, what Qadafi does, or Mubarak all dictators, throw your ass and jail no trail just say ‘national security’

Purple Hulk

#
Around and Around Says:

August 28th, 2007 at 4:06 pm

PURPLE HULK SAID,ITS ABOUT BEING RELEVANT AND TRYIN TO STIR CONTRVERSY BUT DEFENDING SOMEONE WHO EVEN MIGHT CAUSE HARM TO AMERICANS IS FUCKIN TREASON.
——
Do you know what treason is? (Hint: It’s not when someone puts your house on wheels and roles it away)
—
Mos Def is basically saying that the FBI, and the President, and the lawyers, and the judge are just a bunch of crazy lunatics trying to throw people in prison. Does anyone honestly believe that?
——–
Ummm didn’t they try to keep him in Jail as an American citizen for 3 years without charges and it was only the court which told the president, lawyers, and ‘crazy lunatics’ as you call them that they HAVE to charge him….That’s no different then what Saddam did, what Qadafi does, or Mubarak all dictators, throw your ass and jail no trail just say ‘national security’

I CAN AGREE WITH YOU THAT ITS UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO IMPRISON SOMEONE WITHOUT CHARGES, BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARGUING THIS ARE VOTING DEMOCRATIC?(WHICH IS JUST AS BAD AS THE REPUBLICANS), SO THEY NEED TO STOP THEIR POINTLESS BITCHING WHEN THEYRE CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM.

Around and Around

I agree the Dems are as bad as the closet homo-repubs, I vote for niether. Lesser of two evils…why vote for evil?

philthy

hey dipshits read the article Mos is not defending Padilla hes just stating the legal injustices our governmnet is commiting in the name of terror that any educated book reading individual will realize is borderline fascism these days ..but whos gonna sell on 9-11 is all we should be caring about?? no one should speak there god given mind anymore about your wonderful govermnet all u proud Americans ??? yeah right go kill yaselves..

Around and Around

Shouts to Philthy, that’s how it is.

Say something like this and you got stupid ass fuckers from the CAPS LOCK CLICK saying what you’re doing is treason, fucking retarded ass amuuuricans.

ALBANY4LIFE

I read that COUNTERPUNCH article but still have no pity for dude.The thing people seem to forget is we have a lot of fuckas that want to destroy America and messages have to be sent.Everyone knows that our legal system is unjust but when it comes to terror suspects I believe we are to soft still.People have been convicted with undeniable evidence against them of wanting to harm Americans and have been given 5-15 years,how the fuck didnt they get life or better,death.Go to LIVELEAK and search TRAITORS and see how they do things in those Middle Eastern countries with NO EVIDENCE and then cry aout how unjust the American legal system is.LOOK THE WORD TREASON UP FUCKBOYS AND YOULL KNOW WHY I SAID IT SEEING THAT SOME MOTHERFUCKAS OBVIOUSLY DONT KNOW THE DEFINITION.